Fountain pen



June 19, 1951 l, E, Cox 2,557,634

FOUNTAIN PEN Fired nay 21,' 19484 aocfzC/yene Coy( l @y Mm( vwd lornety Patented .une 19, '195i 2,557,634 ronNrAlN BEN isaac Eugene Cox, Kirkwood, Mo. Application May 21, 1948, Serial No. 28,491

Claims. (Cl. 120-477) This invention reiates to fountain pens and particularly to fountain pens of the kind wherein a filling piston slidably mounted in the barrel is actuated through discharge and filling strokes by the use of a central piston'rod having a releasable connection with the piston inside of the barrel.

Many fountain pens have been made in the prior work in this art wherein( a piston within the barrel of the fountain pen might be 'actuated through the use ofr a piston rod having a releasable connection with the piston, but in all such prior 'fountain pens of this general type, the provision of the releasable operating connection between the piston rod and the piston has involved. the manufacture and assembly of parts that were relatively complicated and expensive in character. It is therefore an important vobject of the present invention to simplify the .manun facture of fountain pens of this general type, and a related object is to enable fountain pensV of the aforesaid general character to be made through the use of parts that may be readily and easily manufactured and assembled. More specifically, it is an object to simplify the leasable connection between the piston rod and the piston of pens of this type, anda further` and related object is to enable pens of this character to be made in such a way that the partsy will not rattle or move with respectto each other when the pen has been filled. A further object is to enable these advantageous results-to be accomplished even though the parts utilized are manufactured to a reasonable and economical tolerance.

' Other and further objects of the present in' vention will be apparent from the following de'- scription and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illus tration, show preferred embodiments and the' principles thereof and what I now considerto be the best mode in which have contemplated applying those principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equiv-v alent principles may be used andA structural` changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional View ofV a fountain pen embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view show.h

ing the relationship of thepistonand the parts' of" the piston rod that cooperate in affording a re'- leasable connection between these parts;

Fig. 3 is a transverse cross sectional View taken at an enlarged scale along the line 3 3 of Fig. l. and showing the relationship of the piston to the barrel;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view taken from line i-ii with the rear end head or cap of the barrel removed;

Figs. 5 to 9 are side elevational views taken partially in section and showing ther sequence of movements of the elements in the course of a' filling operation;

Fig. l0 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 9 and showing an alternative construction of the upper end closure member of the pen; and` Fig. 1l is a view siimilar to Fig. 2 and illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

`TFor purposes of disclosure, the invention is herein illustrated as embodied in a fountain pen 2Elhaving an elongated generally cylindricalb'arrel El, at the lower or left hand end of'whieh a reduced and internally threaded portion 22v has a conventional pen point and feeder assembly 2'3 associated therewith. At the other end of the barrel 2i an upper end bearing or plug 2d is screw threaded into the barrel, and in the portion of the barrel intermediate the plug 2i and the end 23E of the point and feeder assembly 23, the

internal surface of the barrel is formed of the uniform shape which is in the present instance generally cylindrical as indicated at 2 IC in Fig. 3l Within this portion of the barrel 2l, a piston 25 isl mounted for longitudinal movement, and for purposes that will hereinafter appear, means are afforded that act between the piston 25 and the barrel 2l to prevent relative rotation of piston25" while permitting longitudinal movement `thereof within the barrel 2l. Such means as herein shown constitute a longitudinal rib 2E formed alongone inner side of the barrel 2i and a matchm ing groove EtG formed in one side edge of the piston 25.

For the purpose of actuating the piston 25 longitudinallyof the barrel so as to enablethe pento be lled, a longitudinal piston rod 3d is provided. This piston rod 3E extends in a slidable and rotatable relation through a" bearing opening 3l formed in the head 2d, this bearing opening Si having relatively tight slidingengageN ment with the piston rod t so as to permit longiu tudinal movement as well as rotative movement of thepiston *rod in this opening while preventing escape of ink through' the'head or plugi'fiA Ori its upper or right hand end, the piston rod" ascisse has an actuating handle 32 so that the piston rod may be readily moved either longitudinally or rotatively, and after the pen has been filled a cap 33 is screw threaded into position on the projecting end of the plug 24 as shown in Fig. l so as to enclose the handle 32 and at the same time engage this handle to hold the same in a downwardly or left hand position as shown in Fig. 1. When the cap 33 thus engages the handle the left hand end or shoulder of the handle as viewed in Fig. 1 engages the adjacent end of the plug so that the piston rod is held against rattling or longitudinal displacement.

Under and in accordance with the present invention, means are afforded for enabling the piston rod to be readily and easily connected in a detachable manner with the piston 25, and in order that this may readily be accomplished, the piston rod extends slidably through a central bore formed in the piston 25 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. On the lower or left hand end of the piston rod 3G, means are afforded for cooperation with means on the piston 25 to enable the desired detachable connection to be readily and easily effected, and under the present invention this is accomplished in such a way that the elements affording the detachable connection are extremely simple and economical in character. Thus, under the present invention, the detachable connection is alforded by magnetic means and in the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 9, such magnetic means take the form of a pair of permanent magnets and 4| and are mounted respectively on the lower end of the piston rod 30 and on the piston 25. The form and arrangement of such magnets 40 and 4| are such that when the piston 25 is to be moved longitudinally of the pen barrel the desired motion-transmitting connection between the piston rod and the piston may be established merely by rotative adjustment of the piston rod 30; and conversely, the motiontransmitting connection between the magnetic elements may be broken by a similar rotative movement of the piston rod 30. In enabling this to be accomplished, the permanent magnets 40 and 4| are of the horseshoe type, and the two magnets are preferably of the same general construction so as to simplify manufacturing operations. Thus, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the permanent magnet 40 is mounted on the lower or left hand end of the piston rod 3D, while the .piston 25 has the permanent magnet 4| associated therewith. The permanent magnet 46 is generally cylindrical in form, and is of a diameter somewhat smaller than the internal diameter of the barrel 2|. This cylindrical permanent magnet 40 has a transverse groove 40G formed diametrically across the upper or right hand face thereof as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thereby to afford well defined pole faces disposed in a common plane. This plane is perpendicular to the axis of the piston rod 3S, and the north and south poles which are so identified in the several figures are disposed on opposite sides of the axis of the piston rod. The magnet 4| that is associated with the piston 25 is of the same general construction and has the pole faces thereof facing downwardly or to the left as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2. 'I'his magnet 4| is cast or otherwise incorporated in the piston 25, and this may be accomplished by casting the piston 25 from a moldable plastic material with the magnet 4| incorporated therein as an insert. Thus, the bore 35 is actually formed through the magnet 4|, and it will be observed that while the piston rod is slidable through the bore 35 in the magnet 4|, the piston rod 30 is fixed in a mag-I net 40 so that the magnet 4U will be moved longitudinally and rotatively with the piston rod 30. This may be accomplished by utilizing a similar axial bore in the magnet 40 and securing the piston rod 30 to the magnet rod 40 by a suitable soldering swaging or similar operation.

When the magnetic connecting means thus afforded are to be utilized in filling the fountain pen 20, the upper end cap 35 is removed so as to expose the handle 32 for engagement by the operator. It will be noted that the handle 32 has notations N and S thereon as indicated at 44 in Fig. 4, these notations corresponding to the actual pole characteristics or locations of the magnet 4U. Similarly, the exposed end face of the plug 24 has N and S legends 45 thereon corresponding to the pole face locations of the magnet 4|. It will be recognized, of course, that other forms of notation might be used on the handle 32 and the plug 24 to show whether the magnets 40 and 4| are in their connecting or releasing relationship.

When the pen is to be filled, the cap 33 is removed, and the handle 32 is grasped and rotated so as to bring the pole face indications 44 and 45 into relationship shown in the drawings. This sets the north pole end of the actuating magnet 48 opposite the south pole S of the piston magnet 4|, as indicated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, and the piston rod 30 is then withdrawn in an upward or right hand direction as shown in Fig. 5 so as to bring the poles of the two magnets 40 and 4| into engagement. The rotative relationship of the magnets as established by rotation of the handle 32 is such that the two magnets will be magnetically attracted into face to face or pole-topole contact, and this effectually connects the piston rod 30 to the piston 25. The piston rod 30 is then moved downwardly or to the left and into the position shown in Fig. 6 so as to be conditioned for performance of a suction or filling stroke. The piston rod 3|! is then withdrawn to the right, after having placed the pen point 23 in a suitable ink supply, and this movement is continued until the parts reach the positions shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. Thus, in the withdrawing or suction stroke of the piston 25, the barrel of the pen will be filled with ink. It is then necessary to disconnect the piston rod 30 from the piston 25, and this is accomplished under the present invention merely by rotation of the handle 32 through an arc of so that the parts assume the relationship illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings. In this rotative position of the handle 32, the south pole of the magnet 40 is disposed opposite the south pole of the piston magnet 4| so that these two magnets will assume a repelling relationship. This is effective to break the operating connection between the piston rod and the piston, and it might be observed in this connection, that the rotative displacement of the magnet 40 may be accomplished relatively easily, since the sliding action of the pole faces is not magnetically opposed except insofar as the magnetic forces set up a frictional resistance between the pole faces.

After the magnet 40 of the piston rod 30 has been thus disconnected from the piston magnet 4|, the piston rod 3D may be returned in a downwardly or left hand direction to the position shown in Fig. 8, and may be secured in this relationship by the cap 33.

In the use of a pen of this character it is desirable that the piston 25 be retained normally in its upper or right hand position as shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings, and under and in accordance with this invention, this is accomplished by magnetic forces which come into play when the piston 25 has been fully retracted to the position of Fig. 9. To accomplish this retaining action, the plug 24 is so constructed that it embodies the characteristics of an armature which will in effect be attracted by the magnet 4l of the piston 25. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 9, this result is accomplished by making the entire plug 2c of a ferrous material,.such as iron, and through this arrangement a flat inner face ZE is provided which will be engaged by the upper or right hand end of the pistony 2% when the piston is withdrawn to the position shown in Fig. El. When the piston 25 is thus located, the end ME of the plug 24 will be disposed across the upper end of the piston 25 and a magnetic circuit will be set up through the upper face of the magnet 4l and the armature that is afforded by the plug Ztl. It will be observed in Figs. 1 and 2 that the upper face of the piston is formed as a thin wall 25E of plastic which tends to reduce the magnitude of the magnetic forces acting between the magnet 4l and the plug 2:3. This affords an increased diierential between the forces that may act between the magnet ill and the plug 24. on one hand, and the magnet lil and the magnet Alt on the other hand. The form of the magnets, of course, aords somewhat of a differential in this respect and in some instances the Wall 25 need not be employed. In any event, however, the attraction between the magnet i and the plug 2d is suiiicient to hold the piston 25 in its upper or retracted position against ordinary forces that may be applied in the usual handling of the pen, but when the connecting magnet d is rotated to its effective relationship of Fig. 5, the magnetic attraction between the magnets lil and ill will greatly exceed the retaining forces exerted between the magnet 4l and the plug 2d, and hence the piston 25 may readily be moved through the desired filling movements.

In Fig. l of the drawings there is shown an alternative construction `for affording an arma ture at the upper end of the barrel. Thus a plug 213A formed from plastic is provided in the barrel 2 and this molded plug 1213A has a ferrous metal insert 24B cast therein in its inner or lower end, thereby to afford an armature which cooperates with the piston magnet 4l to attain the desired magnetic circuit when the piston is in its upper or retracted position.

In Fig. l1 of the drawings there is illustrated still another embodiment of the invention wherein the disconnectable magnetic connection may be attained between the piston rod 3i! and the piston 24. In this embodiment of the invention, the piston rod 3G has a soft iron cross bar liill fixed on its lower or left hand end so that this cross bar MB may be extended across the tWo pole faces of the piston magnet lill. This piston magnet Ill is of substantially the same form as the magnet lll, with the exception, however, that the groove MIG which defines the two pole faces is somewhat wider so as to be of a width greater than the width of the cross bar Mt. Thus, when the cross bar Hill is aligned with the groove HHG, there will be no magnetic connection between the cross bar it@ and the magnet lill. However, by rotating the cross bar M0, through an angle of 90, the opposite ends of the cross bar I4@ may be brought into position opposite the north and south pole faces of the piston magnet i4 I. Hence, by rotative adjustment of the piston rod l3, the magnetic connection between the piston rod and the piston may be established or broken at will. In this embodiment of the invention, the most effective magnetic circuit will, of course, be provided when the cross bar Hl() is in position as an armature across the two pole faces of the magnet Illl so that the attraction of the magnet Ml to the ferrous armature aiforded in or by the plug 213 at the upper end of the barrel, may be readily broken when it is desired to move the piston 25 downwardly through its discharge or conditioning stroke. In this respect, of course, it will be evident that the wall portion 25E of the piston serves to magnify the differential that eX- ists between the attraction of the magnet 14| with respect to the armature it@ and the plug 2li, respectively.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the present invention enables fountain pens of piston type to be readily and easily manufactured, and under the present invention the connecting and disconnecting operations that are required between the piston rod and the piston may be readily and easily performed. The fountain pen as constructed under the present invention is capable of economical manufacture, because the parts thereof need not be made to close tolerances as in prior structures of this type.

Thus, while I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that they are capable of variation and modification and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims:

I claim: i

l. In a fountain pen embodying a barrel having a point and ink feeder structure at one end thereof and a plug member closing the other end thereof, a piston member slidably mounted in said barrel, cooperating means on said piston and barrel to hold the same against relative rotative movement, a piston rod slidably and rotatably extended through said plug member and said piston member, and a handle fixed on said rod outside of said plug member for shifting said piston rod longitudinally and for rotating the same between angularly displaced connecting and releasing po- I' sitions, the combination therewith of magnetically eifective means having three elements mounted respectively on said plug member, said piston member and the other end of said piston rod and constructed and arranged to aiford at all times a iirst available magnetic circuit for holding said piston member in engagement with said plug member, and to afford a second and substantially stronger magnetic circuit effective only when said rod is in said connecting position for coupling said piston member to said piston rod for longitudinal actuation thereby.

2. In a fountain pen embodying a barrel having a point and ink feeder structure at one end thereof and a plug member closing the other end thereof, a piston member slidably mounted in said barrel, means acting between the piston and the barrel to restrain said piston against rotative displacement in the barrel, a piston rod slidably and rotatably extended through said plug member and said piston member, a handle fixed on said rod outside of said plug member for shifting said piston rod longitudinally and for rotating the same between angularly displaced connectingand releasing positions, the combination therewith of magnetically effective means having three elements mounted respectively on said plug member,

said piston' member and the other end of said piston rod, the element mounted on said piston member being in the form of a permanent horseshoe magnet, and the other two elements comprising ferrous metal members for completing magnetic circuits through said magnet, said magnetic means being constructed and arranged to afford at all times a first available magnetic circuit for holding said piston member in engagement with said plugmember, and to afford a second and substantially stronger magnetic circuit effective only when said rod is in said connecting position for coupling said piston member to said piston rod for longitudinal actuation thereby.

3. In a fountain pen embodying a barrel having a pen point and ink feeding structure at one end thereof, a piston mounted in said barrel for longitudinal sliding movement therein, means acting between the piston and the barrel to restrain said piston against rotative displacement in the barrel, a plug disposed in the other end of said barrel, a piston rod slidably and rotatably extended through said plug and said piston, a handle on said piston rod outside of said plug, and a cap detachably positioned on said other end of said barrel to enclose said handle, the combination therewith of a pair of permanent magnets mounted respectively on said piston and the other end of said piston rod and in xed rotative relationship with respect thereto, said magnets having axially facing pole faces disposed in opposed relation with the opposite poles of each magnet disposed on opposite sides of the piston rod, said plug embodying means aiording an. armature to provide a magnetic circuit across the magnet of said piston when said piston is in contact with said plug.

4. In a fountain pen embodying a barrel having a pen point and ink feeding structure at one end thereof, a piston mounted in said barrel for longitudinal sliding movement therein, means acting between the piston and the barrel to restrain said piston against rotative displacement in the barrel, a plug disposed in the other end of said barrel, a piston rod slidably and rotatably extended through said plug and said piston, a handle on said piston rod outside of said plug, and a cap detachably positioned on said other end of said barrel to enclose said handle, the combination therewith of a diametrically extendingl shiftable armature fixed on the other end of said piston rod for rotationand longitudinal movement with said rod, said plug having at least the inner end portion thereof formed from a ferrous met/al to afford a stationary armature, and a permanent horseshoe magnet mounted in fixed position on said piston with its pole faces disposed on opposite sides of the piston rod and facing toward said shiftable armature.

5. In a fountain pen embodying a barrel having a pen point and ink feeding structure at one end thereof, a piston mounted in said barrel for longitudinal sliding movement therein, means acting between the piston and the barrel to restrain said piston against rotative displacement in the barrel, a plug disposed in the other end of said barrel, a piston rod slidably and rotatably extended through said plug and said piston, a handle on said piston rod outside of said plug, and a cap detachably positioned on said other end of said barrel to enclose said handle, the combination therewith of a pair of permanent magnets mounted respectively on said piston and the other end of said piston rod and in xed rotative relationship with .respect thereto, said magnets having axially facing pole faces disposed in opposed relation with the opposite poles of each magnet disposed cn opposite sides of the piston rod, said plug having at least the inner end portion thereof formed of a ferrous metal to afford an armature to cooperate with the magnet on said piston to retain said piston in position against said plug.

ISAAC EUGENE COX.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are` of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 800,039 Williams Sept. 19, 1905 1,239,972 Ruff Sept. 11, 1917 2,226,287 Miller Dec. 24, 1940 2,288,688 Dubilier July 7, 1942 2,339,087 Manta Jan. 11, 1944 2,425,198 Moore Aug. 5, 1947 2,427,222 Mellonis Sept. 9, 1947 2,433,231 Schultz et al Mar. 23, 1948 

